4 min readNoidaUpdated: Mar 29, 2026 11:48 AM IST
Why does Delhi-NCR need a second international airport when Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is already the country’s largest?
The answer lies in the ever-increasing passenger load.
The IGIA currently handles about 10.5 crore passengers annually, with its capacity expected to rise to 12.5 crore by the end of this decade. As per Delhi Master Plan 2026, which is under consideration, its capacity might touch 14 crore annually between 2035-2040.
However, the demand is projected to far outpace this growth.
As per a 2018 feasibility study conducted by global consultancy firm PwC for the Noida International Airport, by 2050, air travel demand from NCR’s catchment area is expected to reach 25 crore passengers annually.
However, IGIA — the country’s busiest airport — is likely to hit saturation around 2030. Located in a densely populated urban area, space constraints would limit its further expansion.
This is where Jewar airport comes in.
Capacity constraint at IGIA, along with the horizontal expansion of Delhi, has necessitated the requirement of a new airport, noted the PwC report. Even now, when IGIA has not reached saturation, the airport is expected to witness capacity constraints at peak hours. This may result in spill-over of traffic to Jewar, it added.
Thus, in the initial years, Jewar airport is likely to cater to peak-hour demand that would remain unfulfilled by IGIA — the excess traffic is expected to spill over to the new airport. The potential spillover may start picking up significant pace by 2029-30, as IGIA reaches its saturation point.
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Sources in the aviation industry said that the Noida airport represents good urban and economic planning for a region expected to become the largest urban settlement in the world by the end of this decade. Mumbai, the other major Metro that has two airports, was late in realising that a single airport would be insufficient to sustain its scale of growth.
According to ratings agency Crisil, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport saw a slowdown after 2017 because of capacity constraints — it could not offer additional slots for airlines during peak hours. The same scenario would have played out in Delhi given there wasn’t another airport nearby, the agency had said in a note last month.
However, in the short-term, the IGIA and Noida airport will compete for airlines, routes and passengers.
One key factor tilting the balance is cost: Uttar Pradesh levies 1% VAT on aviation turbine fuel compared to Delhi’s 25%. Since fuel accounts for 30-40% of airline costs, this differential could incentivise carriers to shift operations toward Jewar airport.
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Also, international tourists visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra might prefer Jewar more. Around 18% of 6,000 passengers surveyed at IGIA for the PwC study said they intend to visit the Taj Mahal, and 60% said they would prefer an airport closer to Agra. Conscious of Taj Mahal’s importance as a traffic driver, last year, IGIA had announced a direct luxury bus service to and fro the Taj Mahal, to be run daily.
Further, with Gautam Budhha Nagar and Ghaziabad contributing nearly half of IGIA’s cargo shipments —according to the PwC study — the new airport has a natural advantage in positioning itself as a cargo hub.
The IGIA, meanwhile, will hope that its densely urban and economically better off catchment area as well connectivity through Metro and road network will continue to act as advantages.
In the long-term, however, the two airports would complement each other. Without Noida airport, IGIA would face a hard time catering to passenger load.
